The next morning, Ethan, Rias, and Sona sat around a table in the Student Council room.
"Sona, Ethan," Rias began, laying out a weathered parchment. "I received word from Grayfia this morning. The time and location for the Summit have been finalized."
Sona nodded. As the next head of the Sitri family and the sister of one of the Four Great Satans, she had already been briefed.
"Satan Lucifer and Satan Leviathan will both attend," Sona said, adjusting her glasses as she looked at Ethan. "And the Red Dragon Emperor has been formally invited."
"I'll be there," Rias added. "And I'm bringing Akeno and the others with me."
Sona frowned. "I'll be attending too, but I'm only bringing Tsubaki."
Ethan scanned the parchment. The meeting was in three days. This Summit, where the leaders of the Three Great Factions would gather, was a prime target for any conspiracy theorists or warmongers. The location was the same mountain villa where Ethan had previously trained—remote, but well-equipped for high-level negotiations.
As the "host," Rias needed to prepare. Bringing her peerage was a standard security measure, even if Ethan felt that if the leaders of the three factions couldn't handle a threat, Akeno and the others wouldn't be much help. But protocol was protocol.
"Aside from the faction leaders, the real 'stars' of this summit will be the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor," Sona noted. "Ethan, are you fully aware of the history between the two?"
"Mostly," Ethan shrugged. In his original memories, the White Dragon Emperor should have appeared by now. But his "butterfly effect" had accelerated the timeline. Not only had Vali not appeared yet, but Azazel—who was supposed to attend—had already been erased from existence by Ethan's hand. The world was spinning off in a completely different direction.
"The White Dragon and Red Dragon are fated rivals," Rias warned. "The current White Dragon Emperor is said to have already mastered his Juggernaut Drive and Balance Breaker. He is currently aligned with the Fallen Angels. As long as you hold the Boosted Gear, he will see you as his ultimate prey."
"Don't worry. I never underestimate my enemies," Ethan replied. He had prepared for this the moment he took the Gear from Issei.
"President, who exactly is attending?" Ethan asked.
"Shemhaza, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels. Michael, one of the four Seraphs of Heaven," Rias listed. "And on our side, Lucifer and Leviathan."
"Why two Satans?" Ethan asked. "And honestly, it feels like the other sides are sending 'seconds.' Shouldn't Heaven send their God?"
"It's complicated," Rias sighed, rubbing her temples. "Sona, can you explain the history to him? I have some urgent matters to handle at the clubroom."
Sona blinked. "Is something wrong at the club?"
"Um... nothing major. Just a... mess that needs to be cleaned up before it gets annoying." Rias shot Ethan a sharp, knowing glare.
Ethan looked away, whistling innocently. He had spent the entire night "treating" the four girls, only finishing at dawn. The clubroom—especially the rest area—was a disaster zone. The scent alone was enough to make a normal person faint. Since the girls were still unconscious when he left for class, he hadn't had time to "scrub the battlefield."
Once Rias left to handle the cleanup, Ethan turned to Sona. "So, Madam President, care to enlighten me?"
"It starts before the Great War of the Three Factions..." Sona began.
As the Sitri family was one of the few surviving pureblood pillars, their records were meticulous. She explained that after the world was created, primordial gods were born. They were powerful but simple-minded, acting on whim until they eventually killed each other off, their power returning to the world's core.
As the gods faded, the three worlds (Heaven, Underworld, and Earth) formed, and new life appeared. The surviving primordial gods grew cleverer, forming two camps: the Gods and the Satans. They hated each other, but were too evenly matched. Thus, they turned to the newly born intelligent races to act as their armies.
Under their guidance, the "God Race" and "Demon Race" were born. These races had massive potential, and some even touched the ceiling of the world's power, though they never quite reached the level of the primordial gods. But these races had long lifespans, not eternal ones. Over generations, they grew tired of being pawns. In a series of cold-blooded betrayals, the last of the primordial gods were "retired" back to the world's source.
However, the war didn't stop. The loyalty and hatred remained. The God Race and Demon Race eventually evolved into what we now know as Angels and Devils.
"The cycle of betrayal continued," Sona explained. "The God Race was almost wiped out, and the Ancient Demons were pushed to the brink. New leaders rose. The Underworld saw the rise of the current Four Great Satans. Heaven split into three: the Angels, the Fallen Angels, and the Ten Primary Gods."
"The Ten Primary Gods?" Ethan interrupted.
"Descendants of the original God Race," Sona clarified. "They are powerful, but watched closely by everyone. They keep to their own corner of Heaven. Meanwhile, the Angels, Fallen Angels, and the Four Satans continued the ancestral grudge."
This was the root of the Great War. But other life had flourished in the cracks—Dragons, Youkai, Vampires, and Humans. While they lacked the sheer numbers of the Big Three, they produced top-tier powerhouses. The most famous were the Two Heavenly Dragons, whose interference eventually forced the Three Factions to stop their war.
"The Devil faction looks strong on paper, but we have the most internal rot," Sona concluded. "We have the Old Satan Faction causing civil unrest, while our enemies, the Angels and Fallen Angels, are surprisingly unified. Heaven also has the Ten Primary Gods to fall back on. That's why we need at least two Satans present—to show a united front that represents the various pillars of Devil society."